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Moreys plan

What exactly is morey waiting for? There are still some good role players out there that would elevate this team significantly.

Sessions,Marion,Okafor, are the three FA I want on this team. They would help the bench depth as well as add a defensive characteristic to the team.

Is he really waiting for next year? Basically risking our playoff chances this year, with every team in the west improving EXCEPT us?!? I know Ariza is a great for here but other than our starting five, we don't have the team to make a run.

Anyone have any insight on his plan? Is he trying to pry Bledsoe from PHX? Or Rondo? What is his MASTERPLAN B?!?!

I didn't think Capela was going to be a part of the plans for this season regardless of us keeping guys or not, so I think that there could be a possible trade in the works. I'm guessing that they won't be able to trade him until after 30 days.

I think he is standing pat with the cap space on the opportunity that a superstar on a bad team gets pissy before the season starts or around the deadline and we're able to acquire them. Keep in mind that the James Harden trade wasn't exactly expected, although I'm not sure our assets are as good as they were then for a trade of that kind.

It's easy to freak out right now, OP, because Houston missed out on Bosh and then let the guy walk who we were all certain would be a Rocket next season. It's also easy to rip Morey, because his plan blew up in his face and we ended up at best right where we started the offseason and, at worst, a step or two behind last year's squad.

But I do think this team as currently constructed can be better than last year's squad on paper. Howard and Harden will have had a year to play with one another and all of Jones, Beverley, Motiejunas and Canaan should be better than last season. Throw in a player in Ariza who fills a huge need as an elite 3 and D guy, and I do think the Rockets will be slightly better than a year ago as long as they stay healthy.

That being said, I don't think Houston will stand pat with this roster. I think they'll at least add a legit veteran name with what remains of the MLE if nothing else. And I have no doubt that Morey is working on plans C, D and E right now. Maybe it's Bledsoe or Dragic or Millsap or Love. I have no idea. But this is what he's done with this team since he got here and I have no doubt he'll add another big piece in the next year or so. It may not be the superstar we're looking for, but I do think it will be a piece that will improve the team and push them further toward contention.

For right now, I'm just happy that the Rockets still have such a freakishly talented duo with a solid young group of players around them to develop next season. Adding a Shawn Marion would be awesome, but even if that doesn't happen, I'll be okay. So let's all calm down. Now is not the time to freak out. If the Rockets underachieve to start the year, Ariza is a horrible fit, the young guys don't improve and Harden and Howard look unhappy, THEN we can freak out. But for right now, there's a lot of things to be thankful for with this team.

By no means is it time to panic but I think it's a little hopeful to say this team is just as good as last years. Ya, if we got Marion, Okafor and Sessions I think we would but not as constructed. Not that we're significantly worse or anything but I think the 4 seed is our ceiling right now.

PS- MBT are you allowed to tell us about your 2 day ban or just leave it alone?

By no means is it time to panic but I think it's a little hopeful to say this team is just as good as last years. Ya, if we got Marion, Okafor and Sessions I think we would but not as constructed. Not that we're significantly worse or anything but I think the 4 seed is our ceiling right now.

PS- MBT are you allowed to tell us about your 2 day ban or just leave it alone?

This offseason has been extremely overblown. Parsons now looks like a superstar, all the sudden. And we "lost" Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik.

We're not getting all three players you mentioned. We have only two open roster spots, and that's not couting Covington, who might get his contract to become guaranteed.

I think we could and should be better or at least the same as last year, assuming we use the MLE, which we should. You have young guys developing, Harden and Howard learning how to play with each other, and you have a extremely better defensive starting 5.

Everybody seems to worry about bench, and I do too, but the two players we "lost" missed a lot of time with injuries and were only really important when Howard and Bev got hurt. Asik played 29 games off the bench averaging 3.8/5.6 on 15 minutes. Lin played 38 games and averaged 11.1/3.8 in 25.5 minutes. I trust Dorsey, Motiejunas, Adrien, Smith, Canaan and Daniels to easily replace that. And aside from those two players, we had a pretty crappy bench with a younger Motiejunas, Casspi (playing the 4) and Garcia.

If this team doesn't lose any player for a major period of time, we should be fine and we could very well has HCA advatage again. It's not like any team behind us got a whole lot better. Portland added Kaman and Blake and will probably let Williams go. Golden State added Livingston but might not have O'Neal back. Memphis only brought Carter and Dallas became the most overrated team without playing a game since the Howard's Lakers.

Morey's got all his exceptions and a fat $8.3 million trade exception to use from now until the deadline.

I think it's been overblown too but I think it's a huge stretch to think we're gonna get better than 4th at this point. I guess you trust those bench payers more than me but as crappy as our bench was last year, it's even worse this year. It's also worth taking into consideration that we have an awful coach who lost his top assistant. Portland may regress a little but they have as many reasons if not more to think they'll be better and Memphis and Golden State could be healthy and even if Dallas is overrated, they undoubtedly got better this offseason. I'd still say 4th is our ceiling and 6th is the floor barring something crazy. And until we get a new coach and Harden starts trying on defense, I don't expect anything at all from the playoffs

I think it's been overblown too but I think it's a huge stretch to think we're gonna get better than 4th at this point. I guess you trust those bench payers more than me but as crappy as our bench was last year, it's even worse this year. It's also worth taking into consideration that we have an awful coach who lost his top assistant. Portland may regress a little but they have as many reasons if not more to think they'll be better and Memphis and Golden State could be healthy and even if Dallas is overrated, they undoubtedly got better this offseason. I'd still say 4th is our ceiling and 6th is the floor barring something crazy. And until we get a new coach and Harden starts trying on defense, I don't expect anything at all from the playoffs

I think people focus on what it could have been instead of what it is. I mean of course we could have gotten better by adding a big name FA like Bosh, or Anthony, or even by keeping the same team while the young guys improve. But I think we're at about the same level, and we have a little flexibility to improve the team at the deadline or next offseason. Right now I'd say we would be fighting with the Blazers for the 4th seed. Memphis scares a bit, but guys like Randolph, Carter, Allen and Prince should feel their age a bit. And Golden State changed coaches this offseason as well. Dallas got marginally better in my opinion. Chandler sucked last season, Nowitzki is in the wrong side of his 30's, Ellis may not repeat last season, which was his more efficient in quite some time, and defense is a major concern, because no one plays it aside from Chandler.

Bench might be a little worse than last season's, when healthy. But if we use our MLE on Marion or Okafor, I'd say it should be better, on paper at least.

And give McHale some credit. If you don't believe his coaching when it comes to gameplan, he might have something to do with all those guys improving as well as they did. Beverley, Parsons, Daniels and Jones all took huge leaps playing under him.

I think the Rockets regressed a little this year When it comes to Personnel, but they did gain some cap room and saved some money. They may be better situated for the future (tho losing the first round pick for nothing was a pretty big blunder?).

In any case, see this season as a fight for 4-5th seed and the playoffs has only one question: will Harden realize he has to play defense?

I don't have a lot of hope for harden or Howard when I comes to leadership skills. They seem to be unaware of what it takes to inspire or motivate. But we'll see.

Btw, if Harden doesn't play defense, are there any blockbuster trades we could explore to find someone who will? Say send him to Cleveland for Wiggins??! Am I smoking crack?

I'm so tired and sick of all this "Harden doesn't play defense" like it matters that much and if it were completely true. Someone makes a 2-minute compilation of all his mistakes on defense, and he's the worst defender in the league. Guess what, you could make the same compilation for the now "superstar" Chandler Parsons. I watched around 60 Rockets' games last season, and he wasn't nearly as bad as people, who don't watch nearly as much games, seem to think.

You put him with three guys like Howard, Ariza and Beverley, and you still have a potential top-5 defense. Hell, the Rockets were 7th in FG% allowed and 13th in points allowed per 100 poss, last season. And that's with Beverley and Howard missing a ton of games.

To say the Rockets won't be a factor in the Playoffs because of Harden's defense is simply stupid. To say we should trade an All-Pro Guard and 5th in MVP voting because of his supposedly bad defense is pathetic. For an umproven rookie is even worse.

It seems common opinion he sucked in the Playoffs, but strangely his guy didn't do much on offense.

People doesn't have an own opinion in this world anymore. It's hard to read a book, or even watch some games. It's easier to follow other people's opinions.

I'm so tired and sick of all this "Harden doesn't play defense" like it matters that much and if it were completely true. Someone makes a 2-minute compilation of all his mistakes on defense, and he's the worst defender in the league. Guess what, you could make the same compilation for the now "superstar" Chandler Parsons. I watched around 60 Rockets' games last season, and he wasn't nearly as bad as people, who don't watch nearly as much games, seem to think.

You put him with three guys like Howard, Ariza and Beverley, and you still have a potential top-5 defense. Hell, the Rockets were 7th in FG% allowed and 13th in points allowed per 100 poss, last season. And that's with Beverley and Howard missing a ton of games.

To say the Rockets won't be a factor in the Playoffs because of Harden's defense is simply stupid. To say we should trade an All-Pro Guard and 5th in MVP voting because of his supposedly bad defense is pathetic. For an umproven rookie is even worse.

It seems common opinion he sucked in the Playoffs, but strangely his guy didn't do much on offense.

People doesn't have an own opinion in this world anymore. It's hard to read a book, or even watch some games. It's easier to follow other people's opinions.

Thanks for saying this man. You have no idea how annoying it is to hear that **** all the time. Do people not realize how many superstar players in NBA history were mediocre defenders? Or how many historically great NBA teams won titles with horrible defensive players in their starting fives?

I do think Harden is a bad defender, but wing defense is totally overrated, especially on a roster with great defenders like Beverley, Ariza and Howard. If Harden and Jones progress at all as defenders this season, Houston will have a great defensive squad.

You should really start posting in the general NBA forum. I feel like I'm on an island sometimes defending the Rockets and there aren't nearly enough competent Rockets fans posting to back me up.

Thanks for saying this man. You have no idea how annoying it is to hear that **** all the time. Do people not realize how many superstar players in NBA history were mediocre defenders? Or how many historically great NBA teams won titles with horrible defensive players in their starting fives?

I do think Harden is a bad defender, but wing defense is totally overrated, especially on a roster with great defenders like Beverley, Ariza and Howard. If Harden and Jones progress at all as defenders this season, Houston will have a great defensive squad.

You should really start posting in the general NBA forum. I feel like I'm on an island sometimes defending the Rockets and there aren't nearly enough competent Rockets fans posting to back me up.

Why do you even bother dealing with the countless retards that roam the general forums? How you even respond is amazing to me... I can't even get through one page of 90% of those threads without wanting to shoot myself in the face.